Post Ash Wednesday Weariness and Inspiration

I am a bit weary today, which isn't surprising, considering that late yesterday afternoon we headed over the mountain to Faith Lutheran in Bristol, Tennessee, celebrated Ash Wednesday, and drove home. The drive home wasn't as scary as I thought it might be, but we both agreed that we were glad that we didn't have to go much further.

I am happy that I realized I would be tired, so I moved my Thursday classes online.  In many ways, it's a catch our collective breath day, although I did give the students a writing assignment.  I'll keep my eye on my e-mail, but I don't expect my students to reach out.  They aren't a needy group.  In fact, it's hard to get a lot of them to do the work.

Yesterday I was very focused before we left, another reason for today's weariness.  I needed to write an Ash Wednesday sermon, which I did.  The first draft freaked out my poor spouse, who told me that I was bordering on heresy; these are not words I hear very often from him, so I created a new sermon, which was much better.  I also had some writing due for class, which I did.  And because I was moving my English classes online, I had some work to do, which doesn't take brainpower, but does take some amount of time.

I now feel a bit fallen out of time.  I've written notes to myself so that I remember to go to my class that meets by way of Zoom session tonight.  I had a hair appointment yesterday that was moved to today.  I am to that point in the semester where even if I'm caught up, it's never for long--so let me not sit here too much longer before I focus on the seminary work that is due today.

But let me record the last paragraph of my sermon, in case we all need something a bit more inspiring.  I gave myself chill bumps when I proclaimed that last sentence from the "pulpit" last night:

"Yes, we are dust, and to dust we shall return. But Ash Wednesday doesn’t give us the complete picture. Ash Wednesday points us to Easter, God’s ultimate Valentine message of love where God shows us that even though earthly powers and principalities join together to defeat the ultimate message of Love that Jesus brings, those powers and principalities will not succeed. Easter gives us the promise of resurrection. Everything we love will turn to dust, but dust is not the final incarnation. From that dust will come something new, something shining, something celestial in its beauty."